YouTuber Ninja issues fresh update announcing he is now 'cancer free'
YouTube star Ninja has told fans he is now 'cancer free' just a week after he shared his diagnosis with the world.
The US streamer, 32, explained that he had undergone surgery to remove the melanoma which had been found on the bottom of his foot during a routine health check up.
He told his supporters that he was left in 'shock' after medics informed him of the news while attending an 'annual skin/mole check' which his wife, Jessica, had scheduled for him.
In a post on X on 26 March, Ninja - real name Tyler Blevins - wrote: "There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful.
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"It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages.
"I had another dark spot appear near it, so today they biopsied that and removed a larger area around the melanoma with the hopes that under the microscope they will see clear non-melanoma edges and we will know we got it.
"I’m grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA to get skin checkups."
The social media star, who boasts a whopping 19 million followers on Twitch, was praised for being candid about his health with his fans while raising awareness of the disease.
A melanoma is a type of skin cancer which can spread to other parts of the body.
The main cause of melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet light from sources such as the sun and sunbeds.
Age, paleness of skin, moles and a family history of the disease are all contributing factors in the potential development of skin cancer.
The most common treatment for melanoma is surgery, but treatments vary depending on how widespread the cancer is and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
Ninja shared another post online on Thursday (4 April), explaining this is the treatment route he had gone down and that his margins were now 'clear'.
The gamer wrote: "Just got the news from my dermatologist, Great news x 2!
"Excision was successful with clear margins.
"Lesion biopsied, nearby showed only mild atypia and was entirely removed with the biopsy.
"As of right now, I am officially cancer free ^_^ thank you all for the prayers and kind words this last week. Love you all."
Incredible news to start the weekend off with!
Fans rushed to congratulate the star and pointed out how lucky Ninja was that the melanoma was caught early.
One said: "THAT’S INCREDIBLE NEWS! Blessings!! So happy for you and fam!!"
Another wrote: "Huge W Ninja. Glad it all worked out."
And a third added: "Let’s go! So happy to hear this!"
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Olivia Burke